In machine monitoring systems, there are often multiple types of devices used to collect machine performance data, such as vibration data. For example, there may be online measurement devices, such as the CSI 6500 Machinery Health Monitors, portable monitoring devices, such as the CSI 2130 or CSI 2140 handheld vibration analyzers, and wireless vibration transmitters, such as the CSI 9330 or CSI 9420 transmitters. In prior systems, each different type of monitoring device at each machine measurement location had to be configured independently for each measurement to be made and to specify the data to be collected. This has been a tedious and time-consuming process for those tasked with setting up the various devices to make measurements.
What is needed, therefore, is a way to define the measurements to be performed and the format of machine data to be provided by various measurement devices and other data sources in a unified and device/source independent manner.
The purpose of generically defined acquisitions and measurement definitions in a machine monitoring system is to define the machine data to be provided by measurement devices and other data sources in a unified and device/source independent manner. An example of this is a machine vibration monitoring software system in which it is desired to define the data to be collected for a particular machine in such a manner that multiple different types of vibration monitoring devices or data sources (CSI 2140, CSI 9420, CSI 6500, etc.) can each interpret the data definitions and provide the same type of data back to the software system. This implies that the data to be collected is defined once by the configuration software system and the data definition is interpreted internally by each monitoring device or data source. Although this greatly simplifies the software system, it requires each monitoring device or data source to understand the data definitions. This provides the advantage that new monitoring devices can be added to the system to collect data without impacting the software configuration of the data required.
One preferred embodiment of the invention provides a machine monitoring system for monitoring operational characteristics of one or more machine assets. The machine monitoring system includes multiple machine monitoring devices that are disposed in one or more measurement locations associated with the machine assets, and a computer for sending device-independent configuration settings to and receiving machine data from the machine monitoring devices. The machine monitoring devices comprise multiple different device types, each having data acquisition processes and capabilities that are different from other types of devices. The data acquisition processes are for configuring the machine monitoring devices to collect specified types of machine data according to specified measurement parameters. The computer generates the device-independent configuration settings for use in the multiple different types of machine monitoring devices. The configuration settings are structured according to a hierarchal format that can be interpreted by all the different types of machine monitoring devices for use in their data acquisition processes. In some preferred embodiments, a database stores the configuration settings for the various types of machines that will be monitored by various types of machine monitoring devices.
In some embodiments, the machine monitoring devices include online machine monitoring devices, wired transmitters, wireless vibration transmitters, and portable vibration analyzers.
In some embodiments, the hierarchal format of the configuration settings includes multiple hierarchal levels, including one or more machine identification levels, one or more a measurement location levels, one or more collection definition levels, one or more acquisition definition levels, and one or more measurement definition levels. The collection definition preferably includes a collection definition identification value, a collection definition state, and a collection definition descriptor. The acquisition definition preferably includes an acquisition definition identification value and an acquisition type descriptor. The measurement definition preferably includes a measurement type identification value and a measurement type descriptor.
In another aspect, embodiments of the invention provides a method for monitoring operational characteristics of machine assets using a machine monitoring system. The machine monitoring system includes multiple machine monitoring devices disposed in one or more measurement locations associated with the machine assets and a computer for sending device-independent configuration settings to and receiving machine data from the machine monitoring devices. The machine monitoring devices include multiple different types of devices, each type having data acquisition processes and capabilities that are different from other types of devices. The data acquisition processes are for configuring the machine monitoring devices to collect specified types of machine data according to specified measurement parameters. In a preferred embodiment, the method includes the following steps:                (a) inputting information at the computer to identify a machine asset and measurement locations on the machine asset;        (b) inputting information at the computer to define machine data to be collected at the measurement locations;        (c) generating configuration settings at the computer that are generically consumable by each of the different types of machine monitoring devices, wherein the configuration settings are structured according to a hierarchal format that can be interpreted by all the different types of machine monitoring devices for use in their data acquisition processes;        (d) the computer sending the configuration settings to the machine monitoring devices;        (e) the machine monitoring devices interpreting the configuration settings structured according to the hierarchal format to set up the machine monitoring devices to collect specified types of machine data according to specified measurement parameters;        (f) the machine monitoring devices collecting the machine data;        (g) the machine monitoring devices sending the collected machine data to the computer; and        (h) the computer receiving and storing the collected machine data.        
In some embodiments, step (c) includes generating the configuration settings according to the hierarchal format having multiple hierarchal levels, including one or more machine identification levels, one or more a measurement location levels, one or more collection definition levels, one or more acquisition definition levels, and one or more measurement definition levels.
In some embodiments, step (c) includes generating the configuration settings to include a collection definition that includes a collection definition identification value, a collection definition state, and a collection definition descriptor.
In some embodiments, step (c) includes generating the configuration settings to include an acquisition definition that includes an acquisition definition identification value and an acquisition type descriptor.
In some embodiments, step (c) includes generating the configuration settings to include a measurement definition that includes a measurement type identification value and a measurement type descriptor.
In yet another aspect, embodiments of the invention provide a method for monitoring operational characteristics of one or more machine assets using a machine monitoring system. The system comprises multiple machine monitoring devices disposed in one or more measurement locations associated with the one or more machine assets and a computer for sending configuration settings to and receiving machine data from the machine monitoring devices. The machine monitoring devices include at least a first machine monitoring device and a second machine monitoring device, each having different data acquisition processes and capabilities. The data acquisition processes configure the machine monitoring devices to collect specified types of machine data according to specified measurement parameters. One embodiment of the method includes the following steps:                (a) collecting machine data using the first machine monitoring device which has been set up using first configuration settings;        (b) receiving a command at the computer to obtain the first configuration settings from the first machine monitoring device;        (c) sending from the computer a request for the first configuration settings to the first machine monitoring device;        (d) receiving the request for the first configuration settings at the first machine monitoring device;        (e) sending the first configuration settings from the first machine monitoring device to the computer in response to the request;        (f) receiving the first configuration settings at the computer and storing the first configuration settings in a database;        (g) receiving a command at the computer to send the first configuration settings to the second machine monitoring device;        (h) in response to the command, the computer accessing, the first configuration settings in the database and creating second configuration settings based on the first configuration data;        (i) sending the second configuration settings to the second machine monitoring device; and        (j) collecting machine data using the second machine monitoring device which has been set up using the second configuration settings.        